Fackham Hall – A Brisk, Funny Downton Abbey Spoof That's Refreshingly Ephemeral.
Perhaps the feeling of uncertain days pervading: after years of inactivity, the parody is making a comeback. The recent season observed the revival of this lighthearted genre, which, when done well, lampoons the grandiosity of overly serious dramas with a barrage of pitched clichés, visual jokes, and stupid-clever puns.
Unserious eras, it seems, beget knowingly unserious, joke-dense, refreshingly shallow entertainment.
The Newest Offering in This Absurd Trend
The most recent of these absurd spoofs arrives as Fackham Hall, a parody of Downton Abbey that pokes fun at the very pokeable self-importance of opulent UK historical series. Penned in part by UK-Irish comic Jimmy Carr and directed by Jim O'Hanlon, the feature has a wealth of inspiration to work with and exploits every bit of it.
Starting with a absurd opening to a ludicrous finish, this enjoyable upper-class adventure packs all of its runtime with puns and routines running the gamut from the puerile to the truly humorous.
A Send-Up of Aristocrats and Servants
Similar to Downton, Fackham Hall offers a caricature of extremely pompous rich people and very obsequious help. The plot focuses on the hapless Lord Davenport (played by a delightfully mannered Damian Lewis) and his book-averse wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Following the loss of their children in a series of calamitous events, their hopes are pinned on finding matches for their daughters.
One daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the dynastic aim of a promise to marry the appropriate kinsman, Archibald (a wonderfully unctuous Tom Felton). But once she backs out, the onus falls upon the unmarried elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), considered an old maid already and and possesses dangerously modern ideas concerning a woman's own mind.
Its Comedy Works Best
The parody achieves greater effect when satirizing the stifling norms forced upon pre-war females – a subject often mined for earnest storytelling. The stereotype of idealized femininity supplies the most fertile material for mockery.
The plot, as befitting an intentionally ridiculous send-up, is secondary to the jokes. The co-writer delivers them coming at a pleasantly funny rate. There is a homicide, a farcical probe, and an illicit love affair between the roguish pickpocket Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
Limitations and Frivolous Amusement
Everything is for harmless amusement, but that very quality comes with constraints. The amplified absurdity inherent to parody might grate quickly, and the mileage in this instance runs out somewhere between a skit and feature.
Eventually, you might wish to return to a realm of (at least a modicum of) coherence. But, one must admire a sincere commitment to the craft. If we're going to distract ourselves to death, we might as well find the humor in it.
